Following Education Secretary Betsy DeVos's statement seeking public input on federal regulation of campus sexual assault policies, I wish to affirm American University's long-standing commitment to fair process and equity in Title IX cases.

We understand there is concern in our community around how potential changes in federal regulations may play out on our campus. Any federal guidance that may come will be reviewed thoroughly with our community.

We consistently involve the community in policy reviews through town halls and campus committees like the
Sexual Assault Working Group, created in January 2009. We also gather data from our community through climate surveys, which AU has conducted every two years for the past eight years. This data is presented to the community each year following the analysis of responses.

Demonstrating our continual review and revisions of processes, we used community input and data in our
recent move to a more student-centered, efficient investigator model and hired an additional Title IX staff member to better serve our community. Recently
President Burwell emphasized that these improvements, which streamline and enhance response and adjudication, are important to building a safer campus community.

As the federal government engages in its own deliberative process, we continue our AU conversations and seek input from our community. If you have questions or would like to speak to us about AU's Title IX process, please email our Title IX Program Officer Regina Curran at
titleIX@american.edu or stop by weekly open office hours on Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., in the Office of Campus Life suite on the Butler Pavilion 4th floor.